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Interlibrary Loans
Spokane Public Library can request materials from or supply materials to libraries outside of our library system.
The library provides interlibrary loan service in order to enhance and extend the resources available to its users. Because the library cannot purchase or subscribe to every useful resource, interlibrary loan is an essential part of its mission to meet the informational needs of the community.
Who can borrow?
Interlibrary loan service is available to library card holders who live within the city limits of Spokane and business library card holders who own businesses within the city limits of Spokane. In order to process a request ALL of the following must apply:
- library card must be verified (proof of address and identity must be shown)
- fines must be under $50.00
- library card must be current (no expired cards, please)
Non-resident cardholders should contact their home library system for interlibrary loan service.
What can I borrow?
The library can borrow a wide variety of materials, including:
- books and audiobooks published earlier than the last 6 months
- copies of journal/magazine articles or genealogical information
- microfilm or microfiche of newspapers
- theses or dissertations
The owning library will make the decision as to whether or not they will lend the material. You can find book information and check owning library locations by searching WorldCat. Customers may only request the same title twice per calendar year.
Items not available for interlibrary loan include:
- videos, DVDs, music cassettes and CDs, downloadable audiobooks, downloadable ebooks, software, genealogy books (though we can request specific copies from genealogy items)
- books already owned by Spokane Public Library (including items located within our Reference, Northwest Room, and Genealogy collections)
How do I request?
Fill out the Request a Title form to request an interlibrary loan. Select the type of material to be borrowed or copied. Be sure the box next to ILL Request is checked.
- Only four items can be in process at a time. This includes items that could only be used in the library and microfilm. For each item that has been returned, another item can be requested
- Microfilm requests must be for a reasonable date range in order to be processed
- Because interlibrary loan items are borrowed from across the United States and Canada, it can take 4-8 weeks to receive an item
Are there charges for interlibrary loan?
Most of the time customers are not expected to pay for interlibrary loans.
- Spokane Public Library requests items only from free lenders
- We do not charge for photocopies we receive through interlibrary loan
- Customers will be responsible for paying for any requests that require prepayment, such as for genealogy microfilm
What happens when my item arrives?
You can pick up most items at any Spokane Public Library branch.
- Books and audiobooks are sent to the branch specified on the request
- "In library use only" books can be viewed at your local branch
- Photocopy requests are mailed to the address on the library card (so please make sure your address is correct)
- Microfilm or fiche can only be viewed at the Downtown branch
You will be notified with a request notice (by email, phone, or mail) when the item is available for pick up at your branch.
- Interlibrary loan materials will be held behind the checkout desk, not on the regular hold shelf
- You will have five days to pick up your items before they will be sent back to the lending library
- Interlibrary loan materials check out for a maximum of three weeks. Because Spokane Public Library does not own items borrowed using the interlibrary loan system, renewals are not allowed
- If we are unable to borrow an item, you will receive a notice by email or with a note on your library card record
What do we lend to other libraries?
Spokane Public Library's interlibrary loan service reciprocates by loaning our items to other library systems. We will loan the following to other libraries:
- books that are no longer considered new
- audiobooks on CD
- some reference books (with permission of Branch Manager) to be used in the library only
- We do not lend Genealogy items, Northwest Room items, DVDs, music CDs, electronic items, or microfilm


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Pop-up Books Are More Than Meets the Eye
Pop-up books? Sure, they sound like kid fare, but as the recent new exhibition at the National Museum of American History proves, they are far more than just that. "Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop, and Turn," on view until next fall, not only showcases the history of the pop-up book, (which dates back to the 11th century), but also the intricate complexities that artisans have employed in creating these endlessly fascinating works.
When this visitor recently entered the darkened exhibit (many of the oldest pieces must be kept sheltered from light), the fantastical array of spinning carousels, giant spaceships, moveable skeletons, and airplanes poised for flight brought on an almost childlike giddiness.
Each book—the product of the author, the illustrator and the paper engineer—is ingeniously endowed with pull tabs, cut paper, string, boxes and cylinders. In some cases, the paper engineer proves to be doubly talented and serves as the illustrator as well. The exhibit showcases 53 of these works of genius, dating from the 14th century to modern times. A video explores the collaborative efforts among the three artists and a stop-motion film details the impressive feat it is to construct the pop-up book's most revered and anticipated feature—the large centerpiece that unfurls in splendor when the book is opened and collapses between pages when the book is closed.
Modern assumptions make children the popular target of these wondrous works, but the exhibit quickly renders that notion myth. Anatomy, astrology, geometry, astronomy, theology, technology are just a few of the subjects the pop-ups in this exhibit cover. In fact, the oldest pop-up books were intended as instructional tools for adults, rendering difficult concepts into a kind of 3D instruction manual. The pop-ups in Euclid's 1570 book, The Elements of Geometrie . . . help readers visualize geometrical forms and three-dimensional figures. More recent pop-up books, such as Sharon Gallagher's 1984 Inside the Personal Computer uses similar strategies to help readers identify and understand the workings of a personal computer. Of course, books for children are featured in the exhibit. An 1850 rendering of the popular tales the Little Glass Slipper and Cinderella are sure to delight young visitors.
Stephen Van Dyk , director of the library at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City, said that the hardest part about putting together the show was deciding what would be displayed. "I had over 1,200 books available to showcase, but could choose just 53 books that best show the diversity."
-- by Jacqueline Sheppard
Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop, and Turn will be on view through the Fall of 2011 at the National Museum of American History.

subset: commoncrawl


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Does your work space support you? You may have never asked yourself that question, but you should. It should support you energetically. Are the colors on the walls conducive to productivity? Is the entrance clutter-free and welcoming? Does it reflect a serene atmosphere? Whether you work in the corner treatment room of a large spa, or the corner of a rented space, your workspace should provide supportive energy for focus, productivity and income generation.
It used to be that a work space only needed a few simple basics. With all of the high-tech requirements, the more subtle, but equally supportive energy requirements are often overlooked. These provide a balanced atmosphere, allowing you to stay focused, productive and in control of your time. A success-oriented work space contains a balanced amount of both worlds. Integrating some basic feng shui principles and personal design preferences with your high-tech requirements will create a work space that is less stressful and more efficient, which yields more profitability and personal satisfaction.
Energize your space
Before you can invigorate your space for success, it is imperative that you first unclutter it. If you energize certain areas of your area and there is clutter in the way, you will energize the clutter first and create even more clutter. Organize it, file it or get rid of it. Then you are ready to move on.
Following are seven feng shui principles you can apply today to create a balanced work space.
Energize the entrance to your work space. Eliminate any clutter, have it well-lit, remove wastebaskets from the area and make sure the door can swing open. This is not only the entrance to your productivity, but also the entrance to new clients, new business and more profitability. The front entrance and its welcoming statement affect the success of your entire business.
Make sure the entrance is also welcoming. You can do this by making sure plants are pruned and there are colorful flowers to greet clients. Positive energy needs to enter in order to provide your work space with growth and prosperity.
Paint your walls colors that provide supportive energy for the work being done.
Treatment rooms or medical/dental offices. Walls should be light shades of blue or green; these are very calming colors. Because clients may be uncomfortable and nervous upon arrival, the best energy for them is calming energy. Sales, marketing and professional offices. Walls should be a soft terra-cotta or earth tones, which are conducive to building good relationships with clients. Avoid the hard, stress-oriented energy created by white walls; the stress created by the hard, white energy can easily pass on to clients, resulting in no sales or unsatisfied customers. High-tech, electronic, multi-tasking offices. These areas can be balanced with soft green on the walls and wood furniture. Avoid white here, as well.
Use art and wall décor to further enhance the purpose of the work space. Use motivational art and posters that energize—pieces that depict success, teamwork and winning attitudes are great. Frame them in silver or gold, and hang them on west and northwest walls. Family pictures in any space can be very distracting, so limit them to either a small grouping or a collage in one frame. Place them in the southwest area of your room to energize relationships, both work and personal.
Add plants. In the east and southeast areas of your office, energize both new business and wealth-generation by adding plants that reach upward, such as bamboo. If you do not have a green thumb, use great-looking silk plants or trees. You can also hang pictures of magnificent redwood trees or sequoias to give additional energy to income-generation.
Add artwork featuring water. Do this on the north wall to energize your career and provide a gentle flowing movement throughout. Be sure the water in the picture has movement to it, such as a flowing river instead of tumultuous waves crashing on the shore or stagnant water with no movement. A small tabletop water fountain with a gentle bubbling sound also works well. Make sure if you use the fountain to run it every day and keep it filled with fresh water.
Creating balance
By balancing your work space for supportive energy and aligning your personal design tastes with the type of work you do, you have the formula for improved focus, productivity and more success. Creating balance eliminates many of the energy-drainers in your workplace and reduces stress. Ideally, your work space should support you, your goals and objectives, as well as what you need to accomplish on any given day. A balanced and properly energized space leads to a calmer, in-control, more successful you.


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Did you know today was National Coffee Day? Which is mind boggling to me because I quite frankly can't live without the stuff, so everyday is national coffee day in my house.
Whether it comes from your house, from a cart or on the go, we've got a million different places in Lower Manhattan to enjoy a freshly brewed cup, but we've rounded up some of our favorites.
Several places around the city are giving away cups of Joe in celebration, including our neighborhood. Manon's Cafe is holding special coffee events for the rest of the week at all three of their locations. To find our more, check out the event page.
Although it has long since shuttered, Â an honorable mention to Oren's Daily Roast which used to grace us in the North Cove area. Here are some other fantastic places to celebrate National Coffee Day.
La Colombe @ 319 Church Street (212) 343-1515
This Philadelphia based company set up shop in NYC and has quickly risen to be one of the top coffee shops in the city. If you like to grab and go, this place might not be for you as the art of the cup is in how you make it.
Bean and Bean @ 71 Broadway, New York (212) 422-8083
One of the great advantages of being a coffee lover in NYC is access to Porto Rico beans. However, if you can't make it to any of the Porto Rico locations, you can quickly grab a cup from Bean and Bean on Broadway. The coffee shop serves Porto Rico beans as well as offering freshly roasted beans for anyone who wants to brew a cup from the comforts of their own coffee machine.
Kaffe 1668 @ 275 Greenwich St (212) 693-3750
A purveyor of some of the best beans available in the country, Kaffe is a great place to sit, chat and meet new friends. If you're also interested, you can buy a wooden sheep. (Has anyone reading this actually purchased one of those?)
Dean and Deluca @ 100 Broadway (212) 577-2153
If drinking coffee is only as good as the donut it's sitting next to, then Dean and Deluca is your place. Before you start clamoring, "But … what about Dunking Donuts?!" I'll quickly explain. Dean and Deluca offers freshly made and seasonal Doughnut Plant donuts. Never had one? It's worth the trip to Borders to check it out. They sell out everyday so your best bet is to grab the joe and the dough in the morning.
Financier @ Several Downtown Manhattan Locations
They used to brew Illy beans, but have since started serving up their special house blends. Honestly, they taste just like their former Illy brews, but we will trust they are special. Every cup comes accompanied by a bite sized morsel of their signature financier, a madeline type cake.
Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Starbucks, (Yada yada!)
You know where they are, and I know you know where they are — but the coffee is worth mentioning. 🙂
Hooray coffee! 🙂 If we've left out any of your favorite spots, let us know in the comments!


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DENVER >> The troubled Western Athletic Conference is adding Grand Canyon University to replace the University of Denver, which is bolting for the Summit League after just one year in the WAC.
But the WAC must find another school — and quickly — in order to keep its automatic qualifying berths in the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.
The invitation to join July 1, 2013, is contingent upon Grand Canyon completing that reclassification process from Division II to Division I. Because of that transition, the Antelopes won't be eligible for postseason play next year.
Grand Canyon, located in Phoenix with an enrollment of 6,500, joins Cal State-Bakersfield, Idaho, New Mexico State, Seattle and Utah Valley in the WAC, which is dropping football next year.


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Furthermore, the fishes might have been left behind by overflows as alleged by Eglini, but there is nothing in the accounts given to lead one to such a conclusion. More plausible is the conjecture that the fish may have been æstivating and have been awakened by the coming of the rain. This might apply to Ceylon, India, and Malaysia, where there is a prolonged dry season, but during the dry season the earth becomes thoroughly baked, and even in swamps and tanks is hardened to the consistency of sun-dried bricks to a depth of from fifteen to eighteen inches. In view of this fact a mere thunderstorm or even a heavy downpour would not soften the ground sufficiently to release the imprisoned fishes. Then again many of the falls recorded have been on high and dry fields, upon the sand of parade grounds of military cantonments, and upon the enclosed compounds of residences. A careful perusal of the reported rains of fishes in Ceylon, India, and Malaysia, will eliminate the explanation based on the awakening of fishes from summer sleep due to the falling of heavy showers.
There is left to us but one other explanation,—the action of heavy winds, whirlwinds, and waterspouts. Practically all those who have described rains of fishes have noticed that these were the accompaniments of thunderstorms or monsoon rains with their heavy winds, or of waterspouts. One who has witnessed the activities of a whirlwind or who has seen the wreckage left in its path will have no difficulty in believing that such a whirlwind or even the heavy winds accompanying a hard storm could pick up and transport to some distance objects of such light weight as small fishes. Furthermore, anyone who has witnessed the tremendous power of waterspouts, such as are common for instance in southern Florida, will agree that such a spout passing over shallow water, would certainly pick up the small fishes swimming therein and, drawing them up into the clouds, would carry them over the country to drop them some distance away. This is the only explanation that can account for the Indian fall as a result of which fishes were found in a comparatively straight path only a few inches wide, extending over a considerable stretch of country. These fishes must have fallen from the whirling lower end of a funnel-shaped spout after the pillar had broken in two, as is often the case. Again, no other explanation can account for a fall concentrated on a comparatively small area, as was that noted by Castelnau at Singapore.


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Immersion Curriculum and Literacy
by Myriam Met
Immersion instruction differs from other types of language learning because students are learning multiple subjects in the target language. In a Chinese immersion setting, students will learn content through Chinese, and learn Chinese as they learn content. Balancing these two primary goals of immersion is an important consideration when planning, implementing, and growing an immersion program.
Two sets of curricula will drive what happens in classrooms each day: subject matter (content) curricula and the Chinese language and literacy curriculum. In both cases, decisions about what students should achieve derive from national and/or state standards.
For almost two decades, states and school districts have been guided by national standards in almost every discipline. While national standards have been a powerful point of reference in shaping curriculum content, adherence to national standards has been voluntary. In contrast, many states have developed mandatory standards that closely parallel some, if not all, of the national voluntary standards. State standards set expectations for what all students in that state must know and be able to do. These standards are the basis for state-level assessments that are administered at specified grade levels across the state. Schools and school districts, in turn, have used both the voluntary national standards and mandated state standards as the basis for curriculum documents that spell out what students should learn. Curriculum, therefore, helps teachers know what to teach.
In the past, districts and schools varied their approaches to a specific subject's syllabus at a given grade level. For example, a science unit on plants might be found in third grade in one school district and at fourth grade in another. Mathematics topics such as number sense, multiplication, and division might be taught at the same grade level in two schools, but the level of expectation and the timing might differ. These variances made it difficult for immersion teachers to collaborate and share materials for content area instruction. In recent years, however, almost all states have chosen to participate in a national education initiative that will bring far greater consistency across states, districts, and schools. This new "common core" of content, in turn, will make it more likely that immersion programs will become more consistent, so that students in different locations will achieve similar proficiency levels. Hopefully, these consistencies will facilitate the sharing of Chinese immersion resource materials and instructional approaches.
Content Learning in Chinese Immersion Programs
District- and school-level curricula determine what students need to learn in content areas. The curriculum for content-area instruction is usually not developed by individual teachers, even when content is taught through the medium of a new language, such as Chinese. Immersion students are expected to study the same content-area curriculum and reach the same level of proficiency as do students who are not in an immersion program.
Program designers determine how much time will be spent learning content in English and how much time will be spent in Chinese. In most Chinese immersion programs in the United States, some subjects are taught in English and others in Chinese, although these subjects may vary by grade level. In some programs, program designers have structured the schedule so that all subjects are taught in both languages. Decisions on which subjects should be taught in which language might include consideration of the following questions.
- Which subjects at a particular grade level are most likely to be accessible to students given their current level of Chinese proficiency?
- Which subjects at a particular grade level present language-rich opportunities for student to develop their oral proficiency in Chinese?
- How heavily does a content area depend on literacy? Which subjects are most suitable for students' level of Chinese literacy, so that they learn content-area material at or above expectations? How well does a content area allow for students to improve their Chinese literacy?
- How will the program ensure that students are prepared to deal with academic terminology in English as well as in Chinese so that they are able to demonstrate content-area performance? They will also need to segue to instruction in these subjects taught in English in later grades.
- Are there available resources (teachers, print and non-print instructional materials) to ensure high-quality instruction in these subjects?
Chinese Language and Literacy Curricula
Like the curricula for other subjects, Chinese language and literacy curricula are guided by national and state standards. However, it is unlikely that a curriculum already exists in the school or district that specifically determines what teachers should teach and what students should learn. In fact, many veteran immersion programs in Chinese, as well as in French and Spanish, are just beginning to consider the development of a curriculum for Chinese language and literacy.
In past decades of immersion instruction in the United States, educators simply used the second language while teaching school content, believing that students would absorb the new language. This was, indeed, successful. However, over time immersion teachers discovered that while students could readily understand lessons and express themselves in their second language, they were not accurate speakers or writers. The ways in which they phrased ideas weren't completely fluent; they didn't communicate as smoothly as native speakers. Immersion educators began to search for ways to improve their model—which was already producing higher levels of proficiency than any other form of foreign language teaching in U.S. schools.
Added to the goals of enhancing current practices in immersion education are the challenges unique to languages that do not use the Roman alphabet as a writing system. With the rapid and recent growth of Chinese immersion programs have come questions about literacy.
- How well should students read and write Chinese?
- How do we set reasonable targets for student literacy within the amount of time in the school day allocated to Chinese?
- What strategies will help English speakers become literate in Chinese?
- How well do the strategies used for teaching English-language literacy in American schools adapt to teaching literacy in Chinese?
- Which aspects of literacy development can we expect to transfer from Chinese to English and vice versa?
The Interaction of Language, Literacy, and Other Academic Subjects
In immersion, academic content is taught to students in their new language, using the same standards and expectations that are used in non-immersion classrooms. Students need to be as proficient as possible in their second language because as they progress through the grades, the content they learn becomes increasingly dependent on language. Students are expected to understand explanations, participate in discussions, explore ideas, and do all this both orally and in writing.
Chinese immersion educators must pay careful attention to developing their students' skills to meet the same high levels as their non-immersion peers. Once students have learned to read, they will use that skill constantly in all subject areas. Reading is, of course, a key way to develop any language. Research shows that how much and how widely students read significantly impacts their vocabulary and grammar. Reading is critical for immersion students because it involves two of the program's most important goals: content learning and language learning. The more language students know, the more easily they can acquire and retain content knowledge.
Literacy involves not just reading, but also writing. Students are expected to use writing in academic contexts. They write to demonstrate what they have learned and write to help themselves remember (taking notes, making outlines). Students write to clarify their thinking—in fact, some researchers suggest that the act of writing itself is thinking.
Developing a Chinese Language and Literacy Curriculum
Currently, most Chinese immersion programs begin in kindergarten or first grade. In their initial years, students learn the rudiments of language at these grade levels. Most of the language they will learn will be embedded in the daily life of the classroom and curriculum content. Students will learn to use Chinese during the routines and lessons in kindergarten or first grade. They will learn to identify themselves (name, age, grade, boy/girl), name their family members, use numbers and colors for math and other classroom tasks, use the calendar, and so on. In these early years, the language and other content that students learn are almost one and the same. Most new programs specify the characters young learners will master (both reading and writing).
New programs are fortunate that at this point, a written curriculum is not an urgent priority. (Although of course, educators will try to ensure that all aspects of the program are well grounded and operating effectively.) New teachers are busy getting to know their students, understanding their work as immersion teachers, learning the local district curriculum, and mastering the local school procedures.
As programs grow beyond their first or second year, the need for a language/literacy curriculum will likely manifest itself, as the curriculum should guide the work of teaching and learning Chinese. For example, each teacher will likely to want to know:
- What oral language should I expect my students to know and be able to use when they come to me? When they advance from my grade, which oral language will they use?
- What content terminology do my students need to learn for each content unit I teach? Should students be accountable for every technical term (e.g., larva, pupa, chrysalis) or just high-frequency vocabulary they may encounter in other contexts (e.g., change, caterpillar, butterfly)?
- Should students be able to read and write all the vocabulary they know orally?
- Which characters should students know? When should I teach pinyin and how well should my students know it? What is the role of pinyin in my classroom?
- What kinds of texts should my students be able to read for comprehension? Are there texts/textbooks that I am expected to use? If there are none, what should I use for literacy instruction?
- How do I set priorities among the literacy skills of making meaning from texts; recognizing and pronouncing characters; producing characters in writing; and selecting the correct character from a computer display when students have input pinyin? •
At this point, it is important to consider which options for Chinese curriculum/literacy are most appropriate. Options might include:
- Develop a Chinese language/literacy curriculum that aligns with the local context and needs.
- Coordinate with other schools and districts with similar needs to pool resources and to build a team of curriculum developers with multiple teachers at each grade level.
- Borrow or download an existing Chinese curriculum from another program, then adapt it as needed.
Improving Language and Literacy Outcomes in Chinese Immersion
Recently, immersion educators have found that a combination of strategies results in higher levels of student performance in the immersion language. Their approach is a backward design: setting goals and expectations, determining what will be the evidence that students have met expectations, and then designing instruction to ensure that students can meet the stated learning outcomes.
Immersion programs focused on developing language and literacy curricula carry out some or all of the following steps:
- Setting clearly defined performance targets that align with commonly used metrics at specified grade levels
- For each grade level, describing students' fluency levels in observable and measurable terms and aligning these "can do" statements with the proficiency targets
- Developing a language and literacy curriculum that specifies the language/literacy tools students will learn in order to show that they "can do" what is expected at their grade level
- Showing how these elements of language and literacy (vocabulary, grammar structures, language functions, characters, etc.) will be taught within each content unit taught in Chinese or in a separate language/ literacy lesson
- Assessing students both formally and informally to make sure students are progressing toward the stated expectations


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Cut Out the Gluten to Reach Your Fitness Goals
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The effects of gluten on your body may be one thing standing between you and the body you want.
Limiting your intake of gluten may also help you to eliminate common ailments like arthritis, fatigue and and many other chronic diseases related to aging.
Comments Off on Cut Out the Gluten to Reach Your Fitness Goals
Posted in: Anti-Aging, Arthritis, Bodybuilding, Food, General fitness, Weight Loss
Tags: gluten, gluten allergy, gluten intolerance, wheat, wheat allergy


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J Dewey Manufacturing; maker of the famous J Dewey Rods for cleaning your guns, is giving away awesome goods all week long!
Today, since it's Friday one lucky person will win a Complete AR-15 Cleaning Kit ($100 value)
Product Specifications:
- 30 Inch Nylon Coated Rod
- Comes with 22C-30 Rod
- M16B Breech Rod Guide
- B22 Brush
- P171 Cotton Flannel Patches
- ARL Link Cleaning Pin
- L-16 Lug Recess Cleaning Tool
Make sure you check out J Dewey Rods for all your gun cleaning needs.
J Dewey products are Made in the USA!
Giveaway Rules:
- You must be located in the U.S.
- Don't be a scoundrel (this always applies) and enter the contest if you are just planning on selling the item if you win.
How to enter:
- Tweet "Check out the @GunBlog Guns & Coffee Operator t-shirt over at http://www.ENDOapparel.com" and/or make up a rhyme with ENDO in it here in the comments on the blog.
- You can enter on both Twitter and here on the blog.
- I'll flip a coin to see if the draw will come from twitter entries or blog entries tomorrow at draw time.
- Don't reply to anyone in the comments on the blog. More than one comment on the blog will disqualify you.
- Use a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Your email address will not be used for anything else but notifying you of a win.
The Draw:
- At midnight tonight I'll close the comments and generate random numbers. The numbers will correspond to the winners, who I will then contact for their mailing addresses.
Good luck!


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How do cuckoos know they are cuckoos?
How do the chicks of birds that use other birds to raise their young, such as cuckoos and koels know that they are cuckoos or koels and not the other type of bird?
How do the chicks of birds that use other birds to raise their young, such as cuckoos and koels know that they are cuckoos or koels and not the other type of bird?
Any parent knows that raising kids can be hard work, but few go to the extent of palming off their entire child-rearing responsibilities to others. Except, that is, for many species of cuckoo and other brood parasites.
There are lots of benefits to being a brood parasite: someone else does all the hard work rearing the chick, and more resources can be devoted to mating and producing eggs, rather than having to spend time defending nests or finding food for hungry youngsters.
The hosts don't fare quite so well, however. The invading chick not only competes with the host's own chicks for food, they can remove them from the nest or kill them. Then, when they've exhausted the host, the invaders simply fly the coop and join their own mob.
While many young animals imprint on the first animal they see, which can lead to a lifelong identity crisis if it isn't their own species, brood parasites recognise they are different from an early age and quickly adapt to make the most of the situation.
"Most birds have an innate predisposition to associate with their own species over other species, and when they interact with their own species this tendency is further refined," says behavioural ecologist Dr Naomi Langmore from the Australian National University.
"Experiments have been done with hand-reared baby brown-headed cowbirds (a North American brood parasite) where calls of their own and other species were played to them at six days of age. They showed a preference for the calls of their own species, despite never having seen them."
Langmore says the birds produce their own species-specific vocalisation.
"Most brood parasites have very simple calls: take the cuckoo's simple two-tone call — 'cuk-oo', for example. It is easy for the body to store without the bird having to learn it
They also use self-referencing, she says. That is, they use their own morphology (appearance or vocalisations) to help identify their own species.
"For example, juveniles may make their own call and then listen for other similar calls, which may help them find [other members of] their species.
"In brown-headed cowbirds, chicks that have been hand-reared and had their own brown feathers painted black later prefer to associate with other birds with similar markings.
"Similar to call recognition, they look at their own plumage and find birds to match."
And while there is anecdotal evidence of channel-billed cuckoos, koels and cowbirds visiting their fledglings while they are still in the host birds' nest, Langmore says there is no scientific evidence that brood parasites take an active interest in their chicks.
"After leaving the host's nest, most juveniles form flocks with other birds of the same species. It is thought that during that time prior to breeding they refine sex- and species-specific behaviours."
Dr Naomi Langmore is a behavioural ecologist from the Australian National University. She spoke to Rachel Sullivan.
Published 09 September 2013


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You've heard of hemorrhoids, but it sounds like a prisoner in Sri Lanka may have come down with a case of hemo-Droids.
While searching a 58-year-old prisoner's cell, guards recently heard a cell phone ringing -- from the inmate's keester. Boy, do we not envy the guard who had to confirm that.
An official made the whole episode sound a whole lot more eloquent than it was:
The man had concealed the phone inside his person. Unfortunately for him, the phone rang at the wrong time and guards knew he had a phone at the wrong end."
The man remained in the hospital for two days, but was finally brought back to prison after the phone was plucked out of his posterior. (Are there specialists for that? Can you go to medical school to focus on portable 4G rectal detachment?)
Of course, we're only hearing the prison's version of this tale; there might be a bit more, uh, backstory.


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I have run several with traditional heel landings. Then I started experimenting with a more forefoot strike. In the beginning I did it all wrong and my legs was on the edge of getting a bone membran inflammation.
But I didn't give up and now I feel I have a more natural forefoot strike. I am still stribing for better technique and I wonder at what pace should a typical forefoot strike be effective?
I know that running slowly, like 10-11 kmh the forefoot strike feels a bit unnatural to me. When I run 15-16 kmh the forefoot strike comes natural to me now.
But my marathon pace is around 12 kmh, and I don't know if I should go for a forefoot strike in that kind of race?


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Several campus offices move
Several campus offices have moved to new locations in time for the start of the 2013–14 academic year.
To create additional office space on campus for faculty and the administration, three Emerson departments voluntarily moved to 99 Summer Street. Nearly 70 staff within Development and Alumni Relations, Communications and Marketing, and Financial Affairs left the Walker and Ansin buildings for the ninth floor of the state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building owned by Normandy Real Estate Partners in May.
Faculty, staff, and students may visit the new location by presenting their Emerson identification cards to security officers at the front desk and signing the visitors' log.
The offices of Development and Alumni Relations and Communications and Marketing were previously located in the Walker Building, and Financial Affairs was previously in the Ansin Building—both of which are home to many classrooms and faculty offices.
Jay Phillips, associate vice president of facilities and campus services, said College officials toured several facilities before deciding upon the Summer Street location in early 2013.
"It was important for us to have a location within an eight-minute walk from our core campus buildings on Boylston Street," Phillips said. "For an average-paced walker, it takes about that long to make the trek. And it's an even shorter trip to the Paramount Center on Washington Street, which only takes four minutes."
Additionally, the offices of Graduate Studies and Research and Creative Scholarship have relocated to the 13th floor of Ansin from the 12th floor. The Office of General Counsel has moved to the 14th floor of Ansin from Walker. The offices of Diversity and Inclusion, International Affairs, International Study and External Programs (ISEP), and Service Learning and Community Action (SLCA) are now located on the 10th floor of Walker.


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Danielle Adams scores 22 in second half to lead Aggies to first title
INDIANAPOLIS -- No one was paying too much attention last week when Texas A&M coach Gary Blair proclaimed: "We're going to win a national championship."
Who could have known what havoc Danielle Adams would wreak? Notre Dame certainly found out.
The senior scored 22 of her 30 points in a dominating second half and answered the Fighting Irish basket for basket Tuesday night to help the Aggies beat Notre Dame in a 76-70 thriller and bring the women's title to the former all-male military academy.
"I had a little voice in my head, 'Don't let this team down,'" said Adams, who became the school's first All-American a week ago and added outstanding player of the tournament to her honors.
"Every time we'd get down, we were telling each other we're not going to lose this game. We worked hard all season to prepare for this point. I had to do this for my teammates. They've been doing everything for me. I decided to take them on my back and just let them ride on my back."
This was the supposed to be the year Maya Moore's Connecticut juggernaut won its third straight title or Stanford broke through or Tennessee got back to the top. But Texas A&M and Notre Dame got rid of them all -- plus the fourth No. 1 seed, Baylor -- to set up an unlikely final between two rugged No. 2 seeds.
And at the end of a seesaw game that easily beat the men's final for excitement -- and points scored -- the Aggies made their coach proud. At 65, he became the oldest coach to win the women's championship just one night after UConn's 68-year-old Jim Calhoun did the same thing on the men's side.
"We gave you that national championship game without the so-called powers of the world," Blair said. "The two powers tonight were the two that earned it."
Tyra White added 18 points for A&M, including a huge 3-pointer as the shot clock buzzer sounded to put the Aggies up 73-68 with 1:07 left.
"That was the knife in my heart. That was the game," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said, bowing her head when the question was asked. "I thought that was just an amazing play on White's part, and that play was the game."
Adams and her teammates then staved off a final, frantic push by the Irish and their sensational young point guard, Skylar Diggins.
Now the Aggies (33-5) are national champs, newcomers who bullied their way through the tournament to win it all. Like Notre Dame, they vanquished their conference rival on the way, beating Baylor in the Dallas Regional final after losing to the Lady Bears three times during the season.
Adams, who struggled badly against Baylor, was up to the task and then some against Notre Dame, scoring the second-most points in a championship game (Texas Tech's Sheryl Swoopes had 47 against Ohio State in 1993).
Both teams reached the championship by knocking off two No. 1 seeds. Notre Dame ended an 0-20 skid against Tennessee, then swept past Connecticut in the semifinals -- the first time one team has taken down those two women's basketball icons in the same tournament. After A&M dumped Baylor, the Aggies knocked out Stanford in a bruising national semifinal.
It wound up being the first title game without a No. 1 seed since 1994 and only the second overall. It also was the first final without either Connecticut or Tennessee since Maryland beat Duke in overtime for the 2006 championship.
And it turned out to be a good one.
After a back-and-forth first half, and with the Aggies trailing 48-43 early in the second half, Adams simply took over.
The 6-foot-1 center scored 10 of the next 13 points for the Aggies to give them a 56-53 lead midway through the second half. Texas A&M then extended the advantage to 64-57 behind the two Sydneys -- Carter and Colson.
But Notre Dame wouldn't give up, battling back behind Diggins and Devereaux Peters. The Irish scored nine of the next 11 points to tie the game at 66 on Diggins' jumper with 3:56 left.
Blair went right to Adams on the next two possessions, and she delivered, hitting back-to-back layups and wearing out the Irish by hitting her first eight shots of the half and finishing 9-of-11.
Peters' putback cut it to 70-68, but White hit her huge 3 -- her second game-saving shot of the tournament after her layup lifted the Aggies over Stanford on Sunday. Diggins had two free throws with 40.7 seconds left, and McGraw called her final timeout only to see her young star turn it over in front of the bench. White hit two free throws to seal the win.
Diggins finished with 23 points, and Peters added 21 and 11 rebounds for Notre Dame (31-8). Diggins, fighting back tears, said the Irish couldn't handle A&M's pressure.
"We turned it over too much. I don't know if it was nerves or what," she said. "We just didn't handle the pressure."
Indeed, the night belonged to the Aggies in a game played just a few hours' drive from the Notre Dame campus in South Bend.
The championship is the first in a major sport for Texas A&M since the football team won it all back in 1939. And it comes at a school that didn't even admit women until 1963, and where school administrators didn't always see the advantage of funding men's and women's sports equally when Title IX passed in 1972.
By 1994, A&M had earned its first NCAA tournament bid and immediately reached the regional semifinals. Still, things slowed until Blair arrived in 2003.
The man with the sharp tongue, quick wit and deep Southern drawl found himself at home recruiting the best players in his native Texas, and teaming up with others in the athletic department to sell the school.
Winning the title will certainly help.
"Me and my team couldn't let our seniors [Colson and Adams] leave without winning a national championship," White said. "We had to send them off in the right way, and, baby, we sure did."
The Aggies rode a relentless defense that didn't allow more than 50 points in the tournament until Stanford scored 62 in the semifinals.
The Irish were trying to become the first team to capture the title in their home state since Stanford won in Los Angeles in 1992. There definitely was a home feel for Notre Dame with two-thirds of the 17,473 people in the arena wearing green and gold, hoping for the school's first championship since 2001.
At least Diggins will be back next season.
"You lose that last game, you just get motivated to come back and work a little bit harder and make sure it doesn't happen again," McGraw said. "So I think it will be a really good motivator for us."
Game Information
2023-24 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
Virginia Tech | 14-2 | - | 23-4 |
Syracuse | 13-4 | 1.5 | 23-5 |
NC State | 11-5 | 3 | 23-5 |
Notre Dame | 11-5 | 3 | 21-6 |
Louisville | 11-5 | 3 | 22-7 |
Florida State | 11-5 | 3 | 20-8 |
Duke | 10-6 | 4 | 18-9 |
North Carolina | 10-6 | 4 | 18-10 |
Miami | 7-9 | 7 | 17-10 |
Virginia | 6-10 | 8 | 14-13 |
Georgia Tech | 6-11 | 8.5 | 15-14 |
Clemson | 4-12 | 10 | 11-17 |
Boston College | 3-13 | 11 | 11-18 |
Pittsburgh | 2-14 | 12 | 8-21 |
Wake Forest | 2-14 | 12 | 6-22 |
2023-24 Southeastern Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
South Carolina | 14-0 | - | 27-0 |
Ole Miss | 9-4 | 4.5 | 19-7 |
Tennessee | 9-5 | 5 | 16-10 |
Alabama | 8-6 | 6 | 21-8 |
Vanderbilt | 7-7 | 7 | 20-8 |
Mississippi State | 7-7 | 7 | 20-9 |
Texas A&M | 6-8 | 8 | 18-9 |
Auburn | 6-8 | 8 | 17-10 |
Arkansas | 6-8 | 8 | 18-11 |
Florida | 5-9 | 9 | 14-12 |
Kentucky | 4-10 | 10 | 11-17 |
Georgia | 3-11 | 11 | 12-15 |
Missouri | 2-11 | 11.5 | 11-15 |


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The Renaissance International School - TRIS
In 1992, I founded A Child's World Montessori School, which is today The Renaissance International School in Oakland, California. I founded the school to provide children with an international and multidisciplinary experience in which they can achieve their highest potential.
Since the school's founding it has been based on the philosophies of Maria Montessori and Zoltán Kodály and is a warm, supportive community of students, families and teachers committed to a quality education. We have an enrollment of 170 students, from ages 2 through middle school.
Both our faculty and student body make up an international community with more than 30 different countries and nearly every ethnic group and major world religion represented.
Our course of study encompasses the full substance of the traditional curriculum, and then goes beyond to teach students how to think clearly, conduct their own research, express themselves effectively in writing and speech and incorporate all of this knowledge toward a practical application. Our curriculum also includes a strong music, arts and language immersion component. The Renaissance International School is the only genuine three-language immersion Montessori school in the nation.
We are essentially teaching children how to learn in order that they may develop into confident, capable and successful, happy people. We teach students to think, not simply to memorize, feedback, and forget. We also know that no two students learn at the same pace, nor do they necessarily learn best from the same methods. Our goal is to be flexible and creative in addressing each student as a unique individual.
We welcome all families and work closely with parents to foster our view of school as an extension of home. I invite you to visit and see our students working. We hold introductory school tours throughout the year. Tours are two hours, for adults-only and are held on select weekday mornings at 9:30 a.m.
Please call us at 510-531-8566 or send an email to our Tour Director to schedule your tour.
Thank you for visiting our website.


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Macro and beauty photography may be considered separate activities by many, but for London-based beauty and fashion photographer Tina Eisen, the two go hand in hand. For her, macro is an exciting, creative strand of her work, one which she began exploring around four years ago.
"I was doing a shoot where I had to put some shiny bugs on the model's eye," Tina explains. "I took the picture and realised everything else on her face – her lips, her nose, her hair – had nothing to do with what I was trying to show. I wanted to reduce the frame to a small area because the rest of her face was distracting from the story. Nothing else needed to be there, I wanted to use only her eye as a canvas. I'm a sucker for detail and as soon as I started shooting macro beauty, I knew it was something I wanted to do more of. I just love macro detail."
At first Tina's models and clients weren't interested in macro beauty photography and she had to squeeze it into other shoots. "Before social media became popular, brands hadn't fully discovered the art of showcasing their products on creative macro images," she explains. "And agencies and models weren't keen on macro work as they're unrecognisable, making such shots useless in a portfolio unless they're a specialist 'parts model' for their lips or eyes. So, it was always a bit of a side project where I'd shoot plenty of full-face images and then quickly slip in a macro shot."


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CAIRO – The Arab League says it rejects a continued Israeli troop presence on the eastern border of a future state of Palestine, a proposal Palestinians say was floated by the U.S. earlier this month.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said Saturday no peace deal would work with Israeli presence in a Palestinian state.
Palestinian officials said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proposed Israel control Palestine's future border with Jordan for at least 10 years to address Israeli concerns about a potential influx of militants and weapons.
Aides to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas have criticized the plan. One aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations, said Saturday the Palestinians are trying to soften the proposal to shorten the span of any Israeli withdrawal.
Associated Press writer Karin Laub in Jericho, West Bank, contributed to this report.


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Congress Leaves Farmers with No Safety Net
US - Dairy farmers have lost a safety net because the 2008 farm bill expired Sunday and Congress has yet to pass a new Farm Bill, according to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), which said today that farmers need to continue to voice their dissatisfaction with the lack of action in Washington on farm policy.Members of the House left Washington last month without completing work on the 2012 Farm Bill. Although Congress is expected to return to Capitol Hill after the November elections, the status of many farm and food programs is in limbo until then, along with the rest of the pending farm bill that contains a new and better safety net for dairy farmers.
"Dairy is among the first sectors in agriculture to feel the impact of Congress's inability to reach accord on most anything, including a new Farm Bill," said Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of NMPF. "Had the House leadership brought the bipartisan farm bill to the floor, I believe we could have passed a bill containing the Dairy Security Act. Instead, we are in uncharted waters, and one of our life rafts has disappeared."
Dairy farmers continue to suffer from high feed costs, and the other programme intended to serve as a safety net – the dairy product price support programme – was created years before feed costs started to escalate, Mr Kozak said.
That's why NMPF has been urging Congress to pass the Dairy Security Act, which instead of focusing simply on milk prices, takes into account the margin between farm-level milk prices and feed costs.
"We strongly encourage our dairy farmer members to visit with their members of Congress during the pre-election recess to determine a path forward for the 2012 Farm Bill soon after the elections," Mr Kozak said. "We need a full, five-year bill to be passed in the House, sent to a conference committee, and approved before the end of the year."
TheCattleSite News Desk


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Apr 11, 2010
a great charcoal roast Tie Guan Yin
A relevant question is, is it worth it paying all these efforts to make traditional Tie Guan Yin? Obviously the market doesn't favor it. In Chinese market, modern green style dominates the Tie Guan Yin market. Most so called roasted Tie Guan Yin products are left over tea from previous years, not carefully roasted, not with charcoal. Even traditional green style Tie Guan Yin (featured with warmer fragrance and fruity aroma) is not as much favored as modern green style.
First infusion:
Seventh infusion:
Spent leaves:
Anecdotally it is observed that many seasoned Tie Guan Yin drinkers tend to more and more prefer traditional style and charcoal roast tea. But these are just a small group of tea drinker, compared with the entire market. Some teas, including traditional Tie Guan Yin and other products, are appreciated more by tea professionals and seasoned tea drinkers, rather than by the entire tea drinker population. These teas are often called "Shi Fu Tea" (Shi Fu 師傅 meaning a skillful tea worker). I don't know how the market will finally respond to such "Shi Fu Tea". But I like traditional Tie Guan Yin very much and have found it more mellow to the stomach than modern style. So I hope these people keep their good work going!
(Small scale wholesale of this tea is available while supplies last.)
4 comments:
- Sir William of the Leaf said...
Where is this oolong sourced out of?
Quality roasted TKY is hard to come by now days!
From ones that I have tasted, the fruity and toasty flavors work wonders together! - April 11, 2010 at 11:14 PM
- Jackie said...
You wrote:
"Due to the change of tea tree materials in recent decades, they are not there yet. But they are closer and closer to the goal."
Could you please tell me more about these changes. I'm not sure what exactly has changed, and why it has impacted production? Or do you mean because older tea bushes have been chopped down? You mentioned that in an earlier post.
I guess I just don't know enough about this particular tea.
Thanks once again for your interesting posts and nice pics. - April 11, 2010 at 11:20 PM
- Gingko said...
Billy, I got it from the factory (in Fujian) that makes it tea. I do hope good roasted Tie Guan Yin become easier and easier to obtain when more people love it and more people produce it!
Jackie, I don't know much either and am still learning. The roasted Tie Guan Yin is not well-known even among Chinese Tie Guan Yin drinkers (most of them fancy modern style). The factory that makes this tea got one of the few old tea workers who are expertise on charcoal roasted Tie Guan Yin and they are groping their way too.
Yes as I mentioned earlier, tea tree source can be a problem, since many farmers would rather have new tea trees planted and old tea trees are not "profitable". But there are still some older trees available. Then another problem is, to make traditional Tie Guan Yin, older and bigger leaves are used (while in modern style relatively younger leaves are used). When the factory buys leaves from farmers, they couldn't get leaves suitable for traditional Tie Guan Yin. So they would have to buy and develop their own tea plantations as well as making long-term contract with some other farmers and ask them to provide suitable leaves.
It's a complicated issue. I sometimes have difficulty explaining all this stuff :-p - April 12, 2010 at 1:31 PM
- Shai Williams said...
I tried some as a sample and I do have to say that it is some of the best oolong I have ever tried. So I would say that it is worth sticking to the traditional ways.
- April 26, 2010 at 12:55 AM


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Medium-size black holes actually do exist, according to the latest findings from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, but scientists had to look in some unexpected places to find them.
The previously undiscovered black holes provide an important link that sheds light on the way black holes grow. Even more odd, these new black holes were found in the cores of glittering, "beehive" swarms of stars -- called globular star clusters -- that orbit our Milky Way and other galaxies.
The new findings promise a better understanding of how galaxies and globular clusters first formed billions of years ago. Globular star clusters contain the oldest stars in the universe. If globulars have black holes now, then globulars most likely had black holes when they originally formed. The new results indicate that the very sedate, elderly environments of globular clusters house these exotic objects, quite unlike the violent cores of some galaxies.
"These findings may be telling us something very deep about the formation of star clusters and black holes in the early universe," says Roeland Van Der Marel of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. "Black holes are even more common in the universe than previously thought."
"Not only will we learn about the formation of the black holes, but these new data from Hubble help us connect globular clusters to galaxies, providing information on one of the most important unsolved problems in astronomy today: how galaxy structure forms in the universe," adds Michael Rich of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
These intermediate-mass black holes may provide a link between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. This link is important because it may hold the clue to how supermassive black holes form in galaxies. This is reinforced by the uncanny fact found by these investigations that a black hole's mass is proportional to the mass of the stellar environment it inhabits. Supermassive black holes found by Hubble in the centers of galaxies represent about 0.5 percent of the galaxies' mass. Amazingly, the black holes now found in star clusters, which are 10,000 times less massive than a galaxy, also obey this trend. It appears that there is some yet-to-be-discovered underlying process that ties a black hole to its host in a fundamental way. Nature is providing a big clue as to how these systems and their black holes form.
"The intermediate-mass black holes that have now been found with Hubble may be the building blocks of the supermassive black holes that dwell in the centers of most galaxies," says Karl Gebhardt of the University of Texas at Austin.
Van Der Marel led a team that uncovered a black hole in the center of the globular star cluster M15, 32,000 light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. His collaborator Joris Gerssen, also of the Space Telescope Science Institute, pinned down the black hole's mass at 4,000 times that of our Sun.
In a separate observing program, a team led by Rich, and including Gebhardt and Luis Ho of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, found a 20,000-solar-mass black hole in the giant globular cluster G1, located 70 times farther - 2.2 million light-years away - in the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. By contrast, stellar-mass black holes are only a few times the mass of our Sun, and galactic-center black holes can be millions or billions of times more massive than our Sun.
"G1 has a total mass of 10 million suns, making it about the most massive globular cluster known." says Rich. "It also has a very bright core, so I thought it would be a good place to search for a massive black hole."
A black hole is an infinitely small and dense region where space is so tightly warped by gravity that not even light can escape. For many years, astronomers have known two types -- "supermassive" black holes at the centers of large galaxies and the so-called "stellar-mass" black holes that result when a star about 10 times the Sun's mass ends its life in a supernova explosion. Both types have been detected and measured.
"There are two main theories of black hole formation," says Gebhardt. "You could either make the black hole all at once, when the galaxy is forming, by dumping a lot of material in the middle, or you could start with a seed black hole that subsequently grows over time. The observational evidence now points to the idea that you start out with a small seed black hole." The fact that globular clusters have these small black holes implies that they are excellent candidates to act as the seeds for the supermassive black holes that lurk in the centers of nearly all galaxies.
"The Hubble results add new credibility to the latter scenario," says Van Der Marel. "Black holes similar to the ones now found in globular clusters may have been the building blocks that formed supermassive black holes."
Previously, X-ray observations from the ROSAT Observatory and NASA's Chandra Observatory have identified ultra-bright X-ray sources that could also be interpreted as intermediate-mass black holes in star-forming galaxies. However, alternative interpretations for these X-ray sources continue to exist. By contrast, Hubble's measurements are based on the velocities of stars whirling around in the dense cores of globular clusters, which yield a direct measurement of the black hole masses.
The M15 globular star cluster is close enough that individual star speeds can be measured. By contrast, the G1 observations rely on measurements of the collective properties of many stars. In either case, a black hole can be identified by using a common Hubble black-hole-hunting technique, which searches for a rise in velocities toward the cluster center. Stars close to the black-hole "whirlpool" orbit at a faster rate, in keeping with fundamental laws of orbital motion around a massive central body, as described by Johannes Kepler four centuries ago.
Black holes cannot be seen directly. Some emit X-rays, or show other telltale evidence of their presence, when they capture nearby material. However, the dark objects in the centers of G1 and M15 are quiet. Nonetheless, they are presumed to be black holes because of their small size and large mass. An alternative explanation would be to assume that the centers of these clusters harbor a swarm of neutron stars or other exotic objects that sank to the cluster's center. However, theoretical studies do not predict swarms that are massive enough to account for the Hubble observations.
Astronomers have searched for black holes in globular clusters for nearly 30 years. The roadblock has been the fact that ground-based telescopes cannot easily resolve the stars closest to the suspected black hole. As far back as the 1970s, hunting for globular-cluster black holes was recognized as a task suited for Hubble Space Telescope's exquisite resolution, which is needed for looking close to a black hole. The researchers say that the quest is now over.
To further understand these issues, it is now extremely important to search for black holes in other star clusters as well. Some globular clusters are so close to us that, if they had black holes, we would be able to probe closer to these monsters than we have ever been able to before.
The members of the G1 research team are Michael Rich, Karl Gebhardt and Luis Ho. The members of the M15 research team are Roeland Van Der Marel, Joris Gerssen, Karl Gebhardt, Puragra Guhathakurta, Ruth Peterson and Carlton Pryor.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Space Telescope Science Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Etihad Airways has deployed mobile and internet connectivity across its entire fleet of 24 Boeing 777 passenger aircraft. This milestone comes only months before the airline's entire fleet of 89 passenger aircraft is connected, which will make Etihad Airways the first in the region and one of the few airlines in the world, to offer mobile and internet connectivity services on every aircraft. The passenger fleet includes 28 Airbus A320s, 26 A330s, 11 A340s and 24 Boeing 777 family aircraft.
The full suite of inflight connectivity services on the fleet includes Wi-Fi, mobile services and Live TV. The services combine the "Etihad Wi-Fly" solution, powered by the Panasonic Avionics Global Communications Suite, and OnAir's inflight connectivity solution.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: "We are a global market leader in terms of onboard connectivity solutions. We believe that onboard connectivity is an important competitive differentiator for our guests and are continuously introducing new communications technology to enhance their travel experience. The roll out of our state-of-the-art connectivity solution will give our modern connected guests a seamless, robust experience at 35,000 feet, similar to what they expect at home or work."
Guests will be able to enjoy high-speed broadband services on Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, allowing them to surf the internet, update social media, purchase gifts, upgrade seats, change travel plans and much more, all from the comfort of their seat.
The mobile connectivity service can be accessed by guests using their mobile phones and smartphones to make and receive phone-calls, send and receive text messages and emails, and use mobile data services.
The Live TV onboard service allows guests to watch live news and major sporting events on seven popular television channels including BBC World News, CNBC, CNN, euronews, Japan's NHK World Premium, Sky News Arabia, and Sport 24.
Cabin crew and flight deck operations can also utilise Wi-Fi connections to handle medical emergencies. The crew is empowered to manage inflight guest issues by phone or email in real-time with the airline's ground teams based in Abu Dhabi. Connectivity is also paving the way for the airline to enhance the guest experience through increased onboard retail opportunities, with the added benefit of real-time credit card transactions.
Packages to access the internet start at US$5 and can be purchased using credit cards, PayPal and a range of other convenient payment methods. Mobile telephone usage will be billed by the guest's mobile service providers based on the international roaming rates levied by the service providers.


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Stanford University
Probabilistic graphical models (PGMs) are a rich framework for encoding probability distributions over complex domains: joint (multivariate) distributions over large numbers of random variables that interact with each other. These representations sit at the intersection of statistics and computer science, relying on concepts from probability theory, graph algorithms, machine learning, and more. They are the basis for the state-of-the-art methods in a wide variety of applications, such as medical diagnosis, image understanding, speech recognition, natural language processing, and many, many more. They are also a foundational tool in formulating many machine learning problems.
Specific details
Category of Education
Physical Science


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SolarWorld Solar Panels Power Largest Array for Nevada School
SolarWorld Solar Panels Power Largest Array for Nevada School
Nevada's largest private school's 1.11-MW array typifies state's commercial solar boom
HILLSBORO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, the largest private school in Nevada, is now home to the state's largest school-based solar array. The 1.11-megawatt system, unveiled at the school's 39-acre Las Vegas campus this fall, features more than 4,000 solar panels from SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years. Designed and installed by SolarWorld Authorized Installer Bombard Renewable Energy of Las Vegas, the installation demonstrates growing demand for rooftop and carport solar installations in a state often associated with sprawling, utility-scale desert solar farms.
Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School's 1.11-MW solar installation features solar panels from SolarWorld. (Photo: Faith Lutheran)
Although Faith Lutheran launched its solar installation in 2011, with a 100-kilowatt array on the roof of a classroom and administrative building, the project blossomed in October when the school installed more than 900-kilowatts of SolarWorld solar panels on its student center, maintenance facility and atop a 341-space carport structure custom-engineered by Bombard Renewable Energy. Faith Lutheran administrators expect to offset about half of the school's annual power needs with clean energy generated by the array and save about $140,000 a year on utility costs.
The project was funded through NV Energy solar rebates and the Federal Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit. Bombard Renewable Energy will own, operate and maintain the solar array for five years under a power purchase agreement with Faith Lutheran.
"This project helps reduce our energy costs and provide covered parking for our faculty and students, but more importantly, it allows Faith Lutheran to be among the leaders in clean energy in southern Nevada," said Dr. Steve Buuck, Faith Lutheran's chief executive officer.
"Ever-growing energy needs, supportive state policies and, of course, some of the most abundant sunshine in the country combine to make solar an attractive investment for both nonprofit and for-profit businesses in Nevada," said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. "We are pleased to help meet that demand with SolarWorld's high-quality, American-made solar panels and, thanks to our installation partner Bombard Renewable Energy, 100 percent local labor."
Bombard Renewable Energy became a SolarWorld Authorized Installer in 2012. The company has installed more than 50 MW of solar systems in and around Nevada, including dozens for nonprofit organizations and schools. "Although Nevada's massive utility-scale developments often grab the headlines, the state also ranks among the top 10 in the U.S. for commercial solar installation," said Chris Brooks, director of Bombard Renewable Energy. "Faith Lutheran School, with its dual emphasis on a financial and environmental bottom line, is representative of the kinds of businesses and institutions embracing solar in growing numbers across the Silver State."
About SolarWorld (www.SolarWorld.com):
SolarWorld manufactures solar power systems and in doing so contributes to a cleaner energy supply worldwide. The company, located in Bonn, employs about 3,000 people and carries out production in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro, Oregon, USA. From raw material silicon to the solar module, SolarWorld manages all stages of production ‒ including its own research and development. Through an international distribution network, SolarWorld supplies customers all over the world with solar modules and complete systems. The company maintains high social standards at all locations across the globe and has committed itself to resource- and energy-efficient production. SolarWorld has been publically traded on the stock market since 1999 and is quoted in the technology index TecDax. SolarWorld achieved sales of about 1 billion Euros for the fiscal year 2011.
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SolarWorld Industries America
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Devon Cichoski, 805-388-6388
Mobile: 805-377-2905
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The article SolarWorld Solar Panels Power Largest Array for Nevada School originally appeared on Fool.com.
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I have a pair of Shimano XT wheels and recently had issues with the hub on the rear wheel requiring new cones and bearings. These were fitted carefully but I've had issues getting the right adjustment tightening the cones.
On the one hand I can tighten it to a point which effectively prohibits rotation, and there is no play. But to get the hub to anything close to a smooth rotation I get a tiny amount of play. I have experimented extensively and cannot find any way to balance not having any play with having smooth rotation - in context smooth means turning cleanly, I realise there may be some friction, particularly with new parts. Conversely when I loosen so there is just a hint of movement I get very smooth rotation.
I've been testing with very small increments in tightness - probably around 3 degrees at a time.
The only thing I can think of is that I've used a general purpose grease rather than a hub bearing specific one, but I would expect that to be a difference between degrees of smoothness, rather than the difference between working and not working.
Can anyone provide any tips or suggestions as to how to address this?
Many thanks


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Folk phrases for *escape*
Posted by TheFallen on August 28, 2002
In Reply to: Folk phrases for *escape* posted by joel on August 28, 2002
: : : : : I wonder if anyone here knows some good folk phrases for escape from authority (be it a boy from his parents, a kid from the techers, a youth from the cops..... whatever). Eluding suppression and repression.
: : : : : The act of escaping.
: : : : : And, too, the condition of having escaped.
: : : : : Thanks t'ya. Parnell
: : : : I have several country phrase books. But none have indexes so I have to page through.
: : : : hell and gone (n. phr. the remotest distance) ".and lit out for hell an' gone.' 'It's me for the high hills of hell an' gone)." "Smoky Mountain Voices: A Lexicon of Southern Appalachian Speech Based on the Research of Horace Kephart," edited by Harold J. Farwell Jr., and J. Karl Nicholas (University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., 1993).
: : : : A hard dog to keep under the porch.
: : : : Running fast: He was splittin' the mud. He took off like a scalded dog.
: : : To run: Buck it. High-tail it. Run like wild turkeys. To outwit: outsharp. From Southern Mountain Speech by Cratis D. Williams (Berea College Press, 1992)
: : : You can't keep a squirrel on the ground - It's futile to force someone to do something he's not naturally suited to do. From the Mountain Range section of the Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms: Local Expressions from Coast to Coast by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 2000).
: : People who have advanced degrees in the social sciences and live in cities would simply say he has issues with authority.
: 'Giving the light the slip' (David Crosby, songwriter). Weaseling out. He dodged out. He skipped out. He slipped out like a greased pig. He cut and ran. He bailed. He scooted right out of there. He got off scot free.
He went off like a bat out of Hell. He slipped out under the wire. He ran screaming for the hills. He hit the ground running. He stayed under the radar. He crept out from under the nose of. He slipped the noose. And a couple of semi-archaic Brit slang expressions - He legged it. He scarpered.
- Folk phrases for *escape* Word Camel 08/28/02
- Folk phrases for *escape* joel 08/28/02
- Folk phrases for *escape* rafa lesp 08/29/02
- Folk phrases for *escape* joel 08/28/02


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In order to help you comply with the Polar Code, you can either use our online interactive toolkit, or download all of the relevant resources from the tabs below.
The Polar Code: A Regulatory Interpretation Guide
The Polar Code is, in part, goal based. As this is a new regulatory approach, we have prepared an interpretation guide to help you understand the meaning of some of the text. Our guide has the complete Polar Code text on one side of the page, with our commentary and guidance on the opposite side. We have used colour coding for easy reference across the pages.
How to use POLARIS
The Polar Operational Limit Assessment Risk Indexing System (POLARIS) is an accepted methodology from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that can be used to assess the operational capabilities and limitations of a ship in ice. Our guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to use POLARIS to understand the ship's risk level using the ice class and ice conditions.
Operating Envelope: Guidance note and template
An operating envelope identifies the conditions in which a ship is intended to operate. These conditions are used as inputs when using the Polar Code and setting the ship's operational limitations. Our guide and template helps you identify these inputs in a structured way, so that you can start to use the parts of the Code that are relevant to your operations.
Limitation Wording for Polar Ship Certificate: Guidance note
The Polar Code Certificate has ship limitations for ice conditions, low temperatures and high latitudes. In order to understand at an early stage what limitations will be relevant for your ship's certificate, we have prepared a guide with standard wording. You can use this to understand how your ship will be limited, based on the inputs from the operating envelope.
Operational Assessement: Guidance note and template
The Polar Code requires an operational assessment to be undertaken for all ships. The assessment is used to set operational limitations, determine the balance between operational procedures and equipment provision, and identify any additional hazards that the Code has not already addressed. Our guidance note explains how the operational assessment fits into the Polar Code, and our template leads you through the steps to enable you to submit the results of the completed assessment for review.
Meeting the Polar Code 1 January: Guidance for existing ships
The Polar Code is in two mandatory Parts, Part IA addresses safety aspects and Part IIA relates to environmental protection. Part IIA is the first part of the Code to enter in to force for existing ships. Our guidance note explains what operational steps and procedures need to be in place to operate in polar waters from the 1 January 2017.


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I must confess that I had never been a big fan of pumpkin tarts or pies until the day I discovered the American way of baking luscious desserts with this intreguingly remarkable and manifold fruit. Now, I am addicted to it and can't stop looking around for new recipes which I put to the test in my little kitchen!
On that occasion (Thanksgiving), I've decided to share with you my "PUMPKIN PIE" recipe. This typical all-time classic of American cuisine is THE incontrovertible fall desserts served on this national day of feasting. "PUMPKIN PIE" is perfect to celebrate Thanksgiving with it's comforting autumnal flavors and spices which are mind-blowingly blended together. This pie is full of finesse, yet chock-full of taste and unpretencious, not too sweet nor sickly, but just flawlessly wonderful and well-balanced. It is the best conclusion to a complete and festive traditional Thanksgiving menu!…
This recipe which I have partially adapted was originally released within the pages of R. Danforth, P. Feierabend and G. Chassman's great "Culinaria USA" book, a gastronomical and cultural bible printed by the defunct Könemann publisher.
Enough "Shortcrust Pastry" (or shortbread pastry) for one 23cm pie*
3 Eggs (~53g)
1 2/3 Cup Pureed pumpkin (butternut squash or pie/sugar pumpkin)
125ml Maple syrup
250ml Double (thick) cream
2 Tbs Unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbs Dark rum
2-3 Tbs Castor sugar
2 Tbs Cornstarch
2 Tsps Ground cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground ginger
1/4 Tsp Ground nutmeg
1/4 Tsp Ground allspice
A pinch Ground cloves
1/3 Tsp Salt
1. Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F).
2. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the pureed pumpkin, then add the maple syrup, cream, melted butter, rum, sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground cloves and salt.
3. Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line the pie dish or flan case. Trim off excess edge.
4. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork.
5. Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for about 35-40 minutes.
6. Eat once it is cool.
While preparing the filling you can taste it in order to see if you want the pumpkin mixture a little sweeter. If it's the case add some sugar. But, normally, this filling needs no added sugar.
Instead of maple syrup you can use either light runny honey, golden syrup or corn syrup, but be careful, because they all have a different sugar potency.
Do not to let the pie crust get too brown. If it has a tendency to burn, then lower the oven heat to 180° C (350°F) after the pie has baked for about 15-25 minutes at 210°C (410°F).
If you use "Shortbread Pastry", you'll have to bake it blind before you can pour the filling into the pastry case.
Serving suggestions:
Eat with whipped cream.
*See "Shortcrust Pastry" recipe on this blog.
(Pumpkin Pie -Pic by Rosa www.rosas-yummy-yums.blogspot.com)
(Pumpkins -Pic by www.pismire.org)
(Leaves -Pic by www.fishhook.ndsu.edu)


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Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles Ordered to Testify in Indiana State Fair Case
Next month, Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles will return to Indiana to give a deposition for lawsuits stemming from the stage collapse that killed several people before last August's concert at the Indiana State Fair. The AP reports that a judge ordered attorneys to find a suitable date to meet in court between April 1 and April 15.
As previously reported, a hearing was held early Friday afternoon (March 23) to decide whether or not Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush would have to give depositions. Attorneys for Mid-America Sound Corp., the company that built the stage, hoped to begin the depositions on Monday (March 26), but Judge Theodore Sosin approved a request to reject that timeline after Sugarland's attorneys stepped in to request a protective order. The band had proposed holding court in May.
Additionally, Sosin decided only Nettles would need to testify in front of the court. The band has long stated that they're not at fault for the August 13 tragedy, during which heavy winds took down the light and sound rigging and the roof over the stage at the Indiana State Fair grounds. Seven people were killed and 58 were injured when it collapsed. The group is named in a number of lawsuits, as many claim it was their contractual responsibility to call off the show due to inclement weather.
Sugarland's In Your Hands Tour begins on April 5, with shows in Ohio, Ontario and Kentucky before April 15.


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- family law, divorce, custody, child placement, paternity, and adoption
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- personal injuries, including brain and back injuries, disfigurement, and burns
- car accidents, motorcycle accidents, boating accidents, trucking and snow-plow accidents
- criminal and OWI/DWI/DUI defense
- property damage, business and real estate litigation
- lawsuits against insurance companies, including coverage disputes and bad faith claims
Call the lawyers at Miller Legal Services, for a free and confidential initial consultation 800-585-1444 or 715-386-9655.
We strive to provide the best legal representation possible. Let us put our dedication and experience to work for you. We are located in downtown Hudson, Wisconsin, and have successfully resolved cases throughout Wisconsin, including in Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Dunn, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties.
Our attorneys serve individuals and small businesses throughout Wisconsin including those from the cities of Alma, Amery, Arcadia, Baldwin, Balsam Lake, Barron, Chetek, Chippewa Falls, Cumberland, Deer Park, Dresser, Durand, Eau Claire, Ellsworth, Elmwood, Glenwood City, Grantsburg, Hammond, Houlton, Hudson, Ladysmith, Luck, Maiden Rock, Menomonie, Mondovi, New Richmond, Osceola, Prescott, Rice Lake, River Falls, Roberts, St. Croix Falls, Shell Lake, Siren, Somerset, Spring Valley, Spooner, Star Prarie, Stanley, Turtle Lake, Webster, Whitehall, Woodville.


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The Chicago Council on Global Affairs brought together leaders from across public and private sectors in Washington, D.C., at the annual Global Food Security Symposium in March 2018. The theme of the 2018 Symposium centered on "Youth for Growth," and on creating and expanding opportunities for meaningful employment for youth in food and agriculture, connecting these populations with vital human resources like technical assistance and mentorship, and addressing perceptions of agriculture as an unprofitable and/or unappealing industry.
Currently, the world faces a rapid increase in youth populations as well as a critical demand for sustainable food production. Right now, one-third of the world population (over 2.3 billion people) is between the ages of 15 and 34. By 2050, it is estimated that the global population will increase by 2 billion people to around 10 billion people and that a 50 percent increase in food production will be necessary to meet the needs of this growing population. The speakers and panelists at the Symposium addressed the idea that these two challenges can be solved together—that through empowering and engaging youth around the world, countries and communities can improve global food security through innovative approaches to agriculture and food production.
The Symposium coincided with the release of the Chicago Council's annual Global Food Security Report. This year's report provides a framework for the joint objective of global youth engagement and global food security. According to the report, low- and middle-income countries are currently experiencing the highest rates of growth in youth populations. In addition, for the most part, agriculture remains the largest single economic sector and source of employment in these countries. If young people can be trained and empowered to take a central role in agriculture and food production, this could be an effective approach for building a resilient food system and creating economic opportunities for youth in these countries.
The 2018 Global Food Security Report provides four specific policy recommendations for the United States government. The first is for the executive branch to establish a long-term strategy for global food security through the National Security Council (NSC) in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The second is for Congress to increase funding for agricultural research and development through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as through investment in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The third is to invest in human capital development in food insecure regions through nutritional programs, education and vocational training, and programs for youth entrepreneurship. The fourth is for the U.S. government to support international regulatory norms for business and trade that create job opportunities for youth in food insecure regions.
A recurrent theme during the Symposium was the need for multisectoral approaches to unite individuals working in nutrition, agriculture, environmental conservation, healthcare, and more. "We are starting to recognize that climate has everything to do with agriculture, agriculture has everything to do with nutrition, nutrition has everything to do with the health of people, people have everything to do with the health of the planet, and the planet's health has everything to do with climate change," said Katharine Kreis, Director of Strategic Initiatives and International Development for PATH.
Several speakers also advised against taking a prescriptive approach to addressing challenges internationally. "There are people there who are doing the work; the only missing link is resources," said chef and writer Tunde Wey, "Let's transfer resources in a more equitable way, and let folks do what they've always been doing." Next Generation Delegate Amie Alexander, MPS and JD, Law and Public Policy, University of Arkansas, added, "Listening is important, because a lot of times we want to take the solutions we think we have and go impose them on someone without asking them what the problem is."
The conference also addressed the importance of not only listening to the voices of young people, but supporting them as leaders and partners in food and agriculture initiatives. "Give more responsibility to the youth," said Linda Kwamboka, Cofounder and Director of M-Farm, a technology platform that began in Kenya. "They're the ones who know what the problem is, and they're the ones who actually know what the solution is," said Gouri Mirpuri, Cofounder of The Learning Farm, speaking about the youth participating in The Learning Farm's program in Indonesia. This message also extended to farmers: "Listen to farmers; maybe what you are thinking is not right. They know exactly what they want," said Chetna Sinha, Founder and Chairperson of the Mann Deshi Foundation, speaking about lessons learned in designing credit products to serve the needs of rural women farmers in India.


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Free Arcade and Puzzle Games
Action (All) | Arcade (All) | Puzzle (All) | Board (All) | Cards (All) Price: USD $9.95 This program is an extension of the Game of Life that transforms the classical Life from an environment for various experiments into a genuine game with an active player and a clear goal: rival colonies of virtual germs wage a war against each other, and you takes part in this battle in real time as a commander of your own living army; the playing space can be changed by inserting various auxiliary objects (sources of life, stones, food and poison). The colonies' behavior is highly amusing and unpredictable. Your goal is to capture control over all this chaos (there is a wide choice of goals: destroying one colony by adding cells to another colony; struggle for life, space or food; suppressing aggressiveness of the enemy life sources ; and many others). Flexible settings can be adapted for any selected goal: the program keeps detailed statistics and uses it to calculate a score according to adjustable score rules; the colonies growth can be automatically ceased by an autostop condition defined by the user; player capabilities can be regulated by restrictions of input. In addition, the program gives power to change rules of birth and death that is greater than in other implementations of Conway's Life. Thus, CellFighter allows you to construct and play many various games: each game can have its own goals (score rules), condition of end (autostop condition), behavior of artificial life (rules of birth and death), player capabilities (restrictions of input) and game environment (extra types of cells). It is an entire factory of games based on wars between chaotic swarms of tiny fighters! But this is not all - the features list can be continued: adjustable colors and forms of cells; import of patterns written in the most popular formats of Life files ("picture" and "point list"); copying the playing field to memory and restoring it from memory with one press of the button; adjustable speed of evolution. Test your capability to act in chaos: download it and enjoy! |
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During a wide-ranging hour-long radio interview today, Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren defended her representation of an insurance company in an asbestos lawsuit, and indicated tentative support for medical marijuana and physician-assisted suicide, two issues that will appear on the November ballot in Massachusetts.
"If there's something a physician can prescribe that can help someone who is suffering, I am in favor," Warren said when asked about the medical marijuana ballot question, adding that there have to be the "right restrictions."
Discussing another ballot question that would legalize assisted suicide, Warren said she "turns in the direction" of wanting to give dying patients "autonomy" in making end-of-life decisions.
Warren's Republican opponent, US Senator Scott Brown, opposes the medical marijuana question and says he hasn't made up his mind on the assisted suicide question.
Warren made the declarations during an interview on WTKK-FM in which she was repeatedly pressed on subjects she prefers to downplay, notably the asbestos lawsuit, her Harvard records, and her professed Native American heritage.
Brown has attacked her for representing Travelers Insurance in a 2009 lawsuit, saying her work on behalf of a corporate client undercuts her reputation as a consumer advocate.
In the case, Warren defended Travelers as it sought protection from future claims as part of an agreement that would also unlock a $500 million settlement for asbestos victims, a step many victims supported. After Warren's work on the case ended, however, Travelers won another court ruling that allowed it to avoid paying victims. That ruling is under appeal.
A Harvard Law School expert in bankruptcy law, Warren insisted she had no way of knowing that, after she left the case, Travelers would seek to avoid paying victims from the settlement. "After I left the case, the lower court made the wrong decision," she said on the "Jim and Margery Show."
She said the idea behind allowing Travelers to unlock the trust was to guarantee that "everyone gets compensated." She pointed out that that plaintiffs' lawyers in the case and asbestos workers' unions have said her advocacy in the case helped protect the settlement for victims.
Warren's lengthy answers, however, often relied on legal language that underscored why the case has been difficult for her to defend in the midst of a campaign.
"It was going to the Supreme Court on a specific question," Warren said, trying to explain the case at one point, "and the question was: will trusts survive as a legal tool?"
Pressed by host Jim Braude to release a list of other corporate clients she has represented, Warren said,"I don't have it."
She also faced a series of questions about her decision, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to identify herself as a Native American in a legal directory that is often used by law school recruiters. Warren pointed out that her family members have long believed they are part Cherokee and part Delaware, although she has no written documentation of those roots.
"This is part of who I am," she said. "I can't deny who I am."
But she added, "I didn't use it for any personal benefit."
She declined, however, to release her personnel records from Harvard, which Braude said could put the issue to rest.
Warren replied that questions about her heritage have already been asked and answered, and she pointed out that the people who hired her at Harvard Law School have said her heritage played no role.
Warren got a few chances to poke Brown during the interview.
Asked about whether the senator benefits politically from his model good looks, Warren said he "doesn't look as cute" when he votes against President Obama's jobs bills.
Warren also dismissed Brown's support for a balanced budget amendment, saying her plans have been shown to cut more from the deficit than Brown's plans – and "not through tricks."
Warren also weighed in on the Emmy Awards on Sunday night. She said her favorite show is "Homeland." She did not mention that Obama, with whom she often aligns herself politically, has also called the show one of his favorites.